Data in a blockchain is hashed by sha256 so when the data is modified by bad actors so is the hash, this is what secures a blockchain so why is POW necessary? I understand the double spending problem but couldn’t you just include time stamps in that hash, so where would POW come into play?
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It's about digital scarcity. It's about different actors agreeing with each other. Any actor is free to include timestamps and transactions in the hash, but how do you know which actor has transactions and timestamps everybody agrees on that happened? In blockchains with POW you can be certain that the chosen timestamp and transactions are agreed upon, because of the work done by the network. To spend money again differently you first have to also do the POW. To reverse the question: how would you circumvent the double spending problem by putting timestamps in a hash? – user2609980 Dec 14 '21 at 20:12
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Please edit the question to limit it to a specific problem with enough detail to identify an adequate answer. – Community Dec 21 '21 at 10:46
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POW is a consensus algorithm, it helps multiple actors/nodes/parties to agree on what should be the actual state of the system that everyone will consider valid. So it simply solves a different problem than linking blocks to each other in a blockchain. There are actually many different other consensus algorithms like Proof of Stake for example.
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